|
|
#81
10-30-2006, 03:17 PM
|
|||
|
|||
Re: Big questions this obviously leads to!
So, you're a "full-blooded platonist"? Join the crowd! A
good explanatory link is at: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/platonism/ 
|
|
#82
10-30-2006, 04:06 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: Big questions this obviously leads to!
[ QUOTE ]
So, you're a "full-blooded platonist"? Join the crowd! A good explanatory link is at: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/platonism/ [/ QUOTE ] Apparently so! Although, does this mean that a rational square root of two exists?
|
|
#84
10-30-2006, 06:04 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: Instead of \"Do numbers exist?\" ask .......
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] The answer to an existence question is always implied by the answer to an enumeration (counting) question. So the question to ask is: HOW MANY NUMBERS EXIST? [/ QUOTE ] That's easy. All of them. [/ QUOTE ] Not so fast, my friend. The statement "all numbers exist" does NOT imply the statement "numbers exist". [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]
|
|
#85
10-31-2006, 03:35 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: Instead of \"Do numbers exist?\" ask .......
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] The answer to an existence question is always implied by the answer to an enumeration (counting) question. So the question to ask is: HOW MANY NUMBERS EXIST? [/ QUOTE ] That's easy. All of them. [/ QUOTE ] Not so fast, my friend. The statement "all numbers exist" does NOT imply the statement "numbers exist". [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] [/ QUOTE ] This is true. Btw, I also think that numbers exist. The 'counting' issue that is normally asscoiated with existence questions is not "how many exist" but "what are the criteria of existence for entities of that kind?" The famous phrase from Quine is "No entity without identity," which means that we should not countenance the existence of any entity for which we do not have criteria of identity (and hence, criteria for individuating entities of that kind, which allows us to be able to 'count' entities of that kind). Fwiw, I'm a non-criterialist, which means that I think there are no 'criteria of identity', and thus I think Quine was wrong.
|
|
#86
10-31-2006, 05:25 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: Instead of \"Do numbers exist?\" ask .......
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] The answer to an existence question is always implied by the answer to an enumeration (counting) question. So the question to ask is: HOW MANY NUMBERS EXIST? [/ QUOTE ] That's easy. All of them. [/ QUOTE ] Not so fast, my friend. The statement "all numbers exist" does NOT imply the statement "numbers exist". [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] [/ QUOTE ] This is true. Btw, I also think that numbers exist. The 'counting' issue that is normally asscoiated with existence questions is not "how many exist" but "what are the criteria of existence for entities of that kind?" The famous phrase from Quine is "No entity without identity," which means that we should not countenance the existence of any entity for which we do not have criteria of identity (and hence, criteria for individuating entities of that kind, which allows us to be able to 'count' entities of that kind). Fwiw, I'm a non-criterialist, which means that I think there are no 'criteria of identity', and thus I think Quine was wrong. [/ QUOTE ] Just checking ... you are basically bring up the question, `whats does "=" mean?', right?
|
|
#87
11-01-2006, 03:05 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: Instead of \"Do numbers exist?\" ask .......
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] The answer to an existence question is always implied by the answer to an enumeration (counting) question. So the question to ask is: HOW MANY NUMBERS EXIST? [/ QUOTE ] That's easy. All of them. [/ QUOTE ] Not so fast, my friend. The statement "all numbers exist" does NOT imply the statement "numbers exist". [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] [/ QUOTE ] This is true. Btw, I also think that numbers exist. The 'counting' issue that is normally asscoiated with existence questions is not "how many exist" but "what are the criteria of existence for entities of that kind?" The famous phrase from Quine is "No entity without identity," which means that we should not countenance the existence of any entity for which we do not have criteria of identity (and hence, criteria for individuating entities of that kind, which allows us to be able to 'count' entities of that kind). Fwiw, I'm a non-criterialist, which means that I think there are no 'criteria of identity', and thus I think Quine was wrong. [/ QUOTE ] Just checking ... you are basically bring up the question, `whats does "=" mean?', right? [/ QUOTE ] Well, not quite. We know what "=" means if we are using it to represent the identity relation. The relation of identity, or 'strict numerical identity' as it is sometimes called, means this: If a and b are numerically identical then they are one and the same thing (so, a=b). Mark Twain and Samuel Clemens are numerically identical, for example, since they are one and the same person. The morning star and the evening star (the planet Venus) are also numerically identical.
|
 |
|
|
Linear Mode
